The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a 12-week aerobic exercise program could result in measurable improvements in OUES, CI, and EOV in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, compared to a control group that did not engage in aerobic exercise.The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a 12-week aerobic exercise program could result in measurable improvements in OUES, CI, and EOV in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, compared to a control group that did not engage in aerobic exercise.
A total of 30 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were recruited and divided into two groups: an exercise group (n = 16) and a control group (n = 14). The exercise group participated in a moderate-intensity aerobic program (3 sessions per week, 40 minutes per session at 60-70% of maximum heart rate) for 12 weeks. OUES, CI, and EOV were assessed at baseline and after the intervention, with data presented as median and interquartile range (25-75 quartiles). Comparisons were made using appropriate non-parametric tests to account for the data distribution.
The control group’s OUES slightly increased from 1.21 (1.11-1.31) at baseline to 1.22 (1.15-1.25) after 12 weeks. In the exercise group, OUES decreased from 1.47 (1.11-1.48) to 1.19 (1.07-1.31). Though these changes were not statistically significant, they suggest a modest stabilization in the control group and a small decline in the exercise group.
Similarly, CI improved slightly in the exercise group, increasing from 0.65 ± 0.12 to 0.72 ± 0.11 (p = 0.08), whereas the control group remained stable (0.63 ± 0.11 to 0.64 ± 0.10, p = 0.38). For EOV, the prevalence of abnormal patterns decreased from 25% to 20% in the exercise group, while the control group remained essentially unchanged at approximately 22%.
The results indicate small, non-significant changes in cardiopulmonary function metrics, with the control group showing slight stabilization in OUES and the exercise group showing a reduction. Although no significant improvements were observed, these findings suggest that aerobic exercise may have varying effects on different aspects of cardiopulmonary function in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings.
The findings suggest that while aerobic exercise may not lead to significant improvements in cardiopulmonary parameters like OUES, CI, and EOV during chemotherapy, it could provide modest benefits, particularly in maintaining function. Clinicians should consider aerobic exercise as a supportive therapy with realistic expectations. Larger studies are needed to clarify its role and refine exercise prescriptions for this population.
Aerobic Exercise
Cardiopulmonary Function
